Alex’s Lemonade Stand
By: Madeline Patrick
Alex was born on January 18, 1996. A little after her first birthday she was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is a
rare cancer where the nerve cells called neuroblasts become cancer cells instead of maturing into nerve cells.
The doctors told Alex’s parents that even if she beat the cancer she might never walk again. However, when her parents told her to kick a few weeks later, she moved her leg, showing what a strong child she was going to be. She continued to beat the odds by crawling and walking with braces the next year.
A year after this, the doctors discovered that the cancer had started to grow. At the age of four, Alex had a stem cell transplant. This is when bone marrow is replaced with healthy stem cells that grow into new bone marrow. Alex told her mother, "When I get out of the hospital I want to have a lemonade stand." Because she wanted to raise money so the doctors could, "help other kids, like they helped me."
When Alex got out of the hospital she opened a Lemonade Stand with her older brother and they raised $2,000 for childhood cancer research. They continued having a lemonade stand every year and as the news spread people joined in the cause, opening their own lemonade stands and sending the money to Alex for the cause.
In 2004 when Alex was only 8 years old, she passed away. In her lifetime she raised $1,000,000 for childhood cancer research. But, her cause has not died and her legacy is continued by her family and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. You could even help.
Hold your own lemonade stand and donate the profit to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. To find out how to have your own or donate visit: http://www.alexslemonade.org/
rare cancer where the nerve cells called neuroblasts become cancer cells instead of maturing into nerve cells.
The doctors told Alex’s parents that even if she beat the cancer she might never walk again. However, when her parents told her to kick a few weeks later, she moved her leg, showing what a strong child she was going to be. She continued to beat the odds by crawling and walking with braces the next year.
A year after this, the doctors discovered that the cancer had started to grow. At the age of four, Alex had a stem cell transplant. This is when bone marrow is replaced with healthy stem cells that grow into new bone marrow. Alex told her mother, "When I get out of the hospital I want to have a lemonade stand." Because she wanted to raise money so the doctors could, "help other kids, like they helped me."
When Alex got out of the hospital she opened a Lemonade Stand with her older brother and they raised $2,000 for childhood cancer research. They continued having a lemonade stand every year and as the news spread people joined in the cause, opening their own lemonade stands and sending the money to Alex for the cause.
In 2004 when Alex was only 8 years old, she passed away. In her lifetime she raised $1,000,000 for childhood cancer research. But, her cause has not died and her legacy is continued by her family and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. You could even help.
Hold your own lemonade stand and donate the profit to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. To find out how to have your own or donate visit: http://www.alexslemonade.org/